Compassion is a funny thing isn't it? Human emotions are complicated and difficult to understand; sometimes we can barely understand ourselves, let alone others. Motivations and reasons behind our actions and behaviours and responses can intersect, and finding the true root of a problem can seem impossible at times. Often, it isn't the answer we expect.

Whether it's that perpetual pile of clothes in the corner you're waiting to someday turn into gold, a self-proclaimed disability which renders you unable to refrain from interrupting, or a knack for timing your exit just so, so that someone else is continually left to do the washing up, now's the time to extinguish these habits before they turn into next year's resolutions.

It seems that supermarkets have a big role to play when it comes to helping people make better choices. Simple strategies, such as removing chocolate and sweets from checkouts and prompting the sale of fruit and veg, is a start. But can we apply similar ideas throughout the whole store?

Are these experiences from 2013 familiar? You arrive on a train and are greeted by a message warning of the penalties awaiting those with incorrect tickets; you arrive at a department store and notice a security guard; you are slightly behind with your Council tax payments and a top-hatted bailiff turns up on your doorstep.

Although it is a well known fact, there are still some people who are totally unaware that the people with whom they have the most contact and hang around will have either a positive or negative effect on their levels of self-esteem and confidence.

"Blimey Sandra that avocado must have been the size of a beach-ball!" An average avocado (150g) contains 240 kcal and Sandra had put on the equivalent of over 10,000kcals or 41 avocados in one week. I worried about this for some time. How could someone see things in such a way that was impossible for someone else to understand?

A brain chemical called dopamine may be responsible for more of your choices than you think. This much-misunderstood neurotransmitter, whose original function was to ensure our survival, has been somewhat hijacked by the modern world, meaning that more of us are likely to fall prey to addiction and other unwanted behaviours.

I think if teachers had just one opportunity to stand up to the nation and give advice to parents, they would probably all say very similar things. So, in the spirit of sharing and dispelling the awkwardness and to start a dialogue, this is what I want to say to parents.

Have you ever wondered why your pet cat rubs up against your legs, kneads your thighs with its forepaws or sleeps on top of a wardrobe? These, and many other behaviours, can be attributed to the tiger lurking within your pet tigger.

During Climate Week (March 4-10) I am putting this theory to the test with a Fun and Games to Save the Planet event at the London Science Museum on March 6 and we are inviting people from all walks of life to come and 'have a go'.

Empathy, or the lack thereof, causes so many of the daily frustrations in teaching and prevents so much of the learning that could take place in the classroom, that it seems foolhardy to ignore the potential impact of examining this concept in detail.

I was recently at University College London to hear a talk on behaviour change. "Nudging methods ... have become increasingly popular" read the blurb. "Underlying all of this, however, is the nagging question of whether it is ethical, desirable or sustainable to be nudging people in a desired direction." Indeed. "Or, is it a case of technological fudging, where we may be covering over deeper problems?". Well, yes it is, I thought.

Is it really any surprise that 'lifestyle rationing' is beginning to undermine the notion that all are equally deserving of care and treatment in the NHS, when the medical profession are being urged to take an unhealthy interest in the way people choose to live their lives?

Exactly a year ago, hundreds of kids misbehaved really badly, so why has nobody asked the question? Have we - society, government, family - done something wrong? Why the loud silence? Oh, sorry, I forgot - they are they just nasty little rioters, and should go to prison. There is nothing else to ask. Where is the reflection, the understanding, the questions? Those arrested during the riots mainly came from deprived areas and had the poorest educational backgrounds. They set fire to their own communities, and looted consumerist goods − plasma TVs, "branded" fashionable electronics and expensive shoes. Why did they do what they did?

When you see an unruly child making a scene at school it's easy to dismiss them as irresponsible and reckless. What people don't realise is that behind inappropriate and erratic actions often lies a tragic story.

There needs to be a louder public conversation about the ways in which the media perpetuates political myths about children and young people... And children in schools are constantly blamed for failings in the schooling system.

But if you were thinking of going to the Olympics next week, might you be less inclined to do so as a result of the coverage of security problems. And if coverage creates fear, should journalists be held responsible for the way that they choose to cover particular stories?